Pang - Amstrad GX4000

Review comments

Blasting bubbles may not sound like the most exciting of pastimes, but when you’re a professional globe-trotting bubble blitzer, it’s all you can think of. And that’s what you’ve got to do in Pang, a conversion of the wacky Mitchell coin-op.
You (plus a friend, if playing in simultaneous two-player mode) have to travel the world, see the sights, and blast the heck out of loads of bubbles with your trusty harpoon gun before they bounce you into the middle of next week! It’s not as easy as you might think � once a bubble is short, it splits into two smaller bubbles, each of which splits in two even smaller ones!
The odds aren’t all against you, as some bubbles release power-ups which give you a better chance to clear the screen. Once all the bubbles are disposed of, it’s on to the next part of the world, with even more bubbles!

Staff comments

Pang has to rate as one of the MEAN MACHINES crew’s favourite coin-ops, and te GX4000 version is probably one of the best conversions you’ll see on this machine for a long while. Bright colourful sprites, along with some absolutely gorgeous backdrops make this game a joy to watch, let alone play. And the boppy, bouncy music and effects only enhance the game further. My only niggle is that the collision detection is a little unforgiving at times, but with a game that’s as addictive and fun to play a this, these things can be overlooked.
Pang is a brill game that’ll have you hooked from the word go - it’s definitely one to get hold of at the first opportunity, mateys!

Pang is one of those incredibly simple, but amazingly addictive games which once you start plaing you just can’t stop.
Combining detailed and smooth-moving graphics with irresistible gameplay, it’s both challenging and enormously enjoyable. I know that bubble bursting doesn’t sound particularly thrilling, but the action is fast and gets incredibly hectic, especially if you accidentally pick up the dynamite and end up with a screen full of manically bouncing mini-bubbles! On later levels icy floors make life difficult, and the bubbles move faster and faster, requiring much joystick-jiggling and reflex-testing!
Pang is easily the best GX4000 title yet seen, and is an absolute must-have if you’ve for such a machine.